Almost Adventures
by Darkford
Summary: Sometimes people and Pokémon meet in weird ways. Sometimes they meet and go on adventures together. Sometimes a stray Mew ends up falling into the hands of a newbie trainer. Darrel goes on a journey to do what every kid dreams of; Raising awesome Pokémon into powerhouses that can defeat the Elite Four. On Hiatus...
1. Chapter 1

It happened one morning when, as usual, I was very bored. I left my tree - my hollow stuffed with objects of all descriptions - to survey my surroundings. In each direction were large human cities, though my field was sacred ground and was left untouched. I longed to go on adventures with the humans someday; I was told that the human world was a place filled with wonder and excitement and competition.

The humans had been our companions for many years. Though most Pokémon left it at that, I desired to know more. It's just...

I'm not good at battling. At all.

Like, it would be okay if I was just a Bidoof or a Happiny or something, but that's not how things work. I'm a very special Pokémon - a Pokémon humans call a 'legendary'. I was a Pokémon highly sought after as the origin of all Pokémon - I was a species called 'Mew'. And a Mew that can't even pull off a tackle attack was probably even worse. I just couldn't face that kind of feeling, having to go up to a trainer and be all like, 'hey, I can't do anything useful, but will you take me along on a journey anyway?'

I returned to the book I had been reading - about a knight and his trusty sidekick Lucario - and spent most of the day reading. It was quite engrossing. Humans really knew how to pass the time, if anything. Looking up to the falling sun, I left a bookmark in the story and lay in my bed. The moon was high and I was low. Each minute passed more slowly than the last.  
Another boring day...

A scuffling sound beneath me woke me from my rest. I heard a large life form collapse beneath my tree, and he gasped for air as he fell to his rump. I peeked cautiously over my hollow, hoping to see the tired intruder.

A human! A young boy lay, exhausted, beneath the tree. Perhaps he was on a journey? I made myself invisible and slowly approached him. Staring at his face, I noticed a sort of peaceful look, and assumed he was asleep. Not much fun, a sleeping person.

I decided to get what fun I could out of him. Pulling his cheeks was rather amusing. He made funny faces when I did that. I flew speedily around him to mess up his brownish hair, until I eventually gave up and just sat on his head, stealing his cap. I could hide under this. I just had to wake up in the morning and everything would be alright. Human hair was rather comfy...

A sudden movement below me woke me up. I slowly blinked into the darkness, remembering the evens of the day before. What had I been doing again? Oh yeah... I found a human and decided to take a nap in his hair, and... then...

I was still there, and the human was walking away. He still seemed tired, which is probably why he hadn't noticed me yet, and was fighting his way through the exhaustion to the next human city. I turned invisible and quietly slipped away from under his cap. I looked around. I couldn't see my tree anywhere. Nothing looked familiar. Even the human cities seemed different somehow, as if I was viewing them from a different angle.

Of course... The human had taken me away from my tree! That had to be it! Now what do I do?! I'm not good at navigation... Or surviving... or anything, really...

I looked to the human, who was slowly tromping along. He would have to eat, too... Maybe he knew where to get food? Yes, this was it. I would just follow him around, and everything. Will. Be. FINE.

 _Okay, Deathcandi, let's do this,_ I told myself. Yes, I know, I know, my name is weird. Deal with it. I had bigger problems. Like how I was going to follow a human and infiltrate a human city and get something to eat tonight.

I'm hungry already.


	2. Chapter 2

I followed him until sundown. I was tired - crazy tired - and now was not the time for being tired, since the boy just kept walking. How much strength was in those legs, anyway?! I was relieved when, at long last, he stopped walking and pulled a backpack from his back. Plopping it down on the grass, he sat cross-legged and pulled a box from the bag. I suddenly smelled something delicious waft its way to my nose.

He pulled a square of what I assumed must be food. Good food. He chomped down on the meal, and I couldn't help but get closer to where the food was coming from. He was too distracted to even notice as I sifted through his bag.

Success! I found another food-square and quickly hid with it behind his bag. Now, to eat. Without being noticed. I very carefully began to nibble quietly on the food. Delicious! It might not be a tomato berry, but it definitely was a close second! Inside of the bland part was the juice of Oran and Pecha and Sitrus... so delicious! Human food really is the best!

My stomach full, I returned to watching my travelling companion who had so kindly relented a food-square. Well, maybe I had stolen it, but I was hungry!

He seemed tired, and returning to his bag, he looked longingly at the next human city. It seemed so far away. Perhaps he was trying to get there? He sighed, turned back to his bag, and unpacked a small blanket which seemed a little lacking. Hiding under it, he quickly fell asleep.

Oh. So he was sleeping out here. I guess being lost and away from home meant I couldn't afford the luxuries of a comfy hollow. Resigning myself to an uncomfortable night, I was about to sleep leaning against the bag when I stopped myself. Staring at the boy, I saw he as still wearing his hat. Warm, fluffy hair... A comfy hat for a blanket...

Safe to say, I decided to sleep there instead. Carefully positioning myself on his head so I didn't fall off, I slept on a sea of brown fluff. So very sleepy...

I woke up earlier and was quick enough to get off his head before he groaned and lifted himself from sleep. I was miffed by how early he woke up, but I couldn't be picky. I had no choice. He picked up his bag and moved on. Each day seemed to drain him a little more than the last. It would take at least the day to get to the next town.

I was surprised when he began to run. He seemed almost panicky. I looked around for danger, but couldn't see anything. I didn't take his judgement for granted, though - I flew as fast as I could to keep up with his speedy pace. The town got closer and closer, and before long I could hear the bustle of activity.

Humans were very social and had technology to help them keep connected, but it seemed they still thought being right there was better, since they lived in large groups and stuck together like glue. Even as we slowed in front of the city border, I could hear snippits of conversation in that beautiful language of theirs. The boy didn't wait to hear what people were saying, though; instead, he quickly headed for a large human building where two poke balls - extremely comfortable portable homes - were shown as statues out front.

He ran inside, the doors opening for him, and I followed in an attempt to reach the door before it closed. Thankfully, it opened for me, as well, and we found ourselves inside a large open room. He stopped, gasped for breath, and glanced around, as if he expected something to be there. He slowly calmed himself and sat down at a couch. Not knowing what to do, I decided to sit next to him. We sat for a good three minutes before someone finally spoke to us.

"Hello, Darrel!" A tall human called, his wispy black hair styled oddly on his head. A little card on his coat proclaimed his identity.

"Good morning, Professor Sycamore, sir!" the boy replied, his cheery voice quiet yet clear. "I'm here from Coumarine for my first pokemon!" So he was about to start a journey! Sycamore suddenly frowned. He seemed concerned about something.

"I'm so sorry to say this," he sighed, "but the last one went just yesterday." He glanced around, as if something was bothering him, although I couldn't see anything at all. The boy who had led me here seemed crestfallen.

'If you stick around for a bit we'll see what we can do," He protested, as Darrel rose to leave. Turning back to Sycamore, he smiled happily and sat back down.

Sycamore kept glancing around nervously as he explained his plan, and it wasn't long until Darrel noticed the strange behaviour. "What's wrong, professor? You aren't normally this nervous."

"Sorry, Darrel," he apologised, rubbing the back of his neck, "But ever since you got here I've had this strange feeling someone is here. Other than you, that is." He checked behind the couch and looked up at the chandelier. He even checked some of the appliances. he scratched his head in confusion. Was my invisibility really that good?

I wonder. I'm a pokemon, that's true... maybe, if I showed myself, I could go on awesome adventures! I became excited, and without thinking, I leaped onto Darrel's head and made myself visible again.

Both of them stopped and stood stock-still before Sycamore muttered, "Bless my soul..."

Darrel seemed very confused. He reached up and picked me up, and turning me around, I came face-to-face with an emerald-eyed gentle giant. He blinked, and without saying a word, he slowly placed me on his lap. He seemed speechless. Was I really that special?

"Well, that's one mystery solved..." Sycamore mumbled, before coming up to me and stroking my head. It was rather nice, and I thrived in the attention until a yowl sounded from one of the other rooms, followed by the panicked cries of a female human.

"Oh, not Sadie again..." Sycamore groaned. "Sophie, keep her under control!" he called ot the female, who nodded furiously before returning to chasing a small brown bullet which flew helter-skelter around the room.

At long last, Darrel got up, and sat down on the floor. After a few seconds the bullet shot right into his chest. He grabbed its fur and held it in place.

"Thank you, Darrel," Sycamore sighed in relief. "I was going to have Sadie be your pokemon, but she's just so unpredictable... Oak must have been off his rocker..." He reached out to the small Eevee, but she hissed and glared at him, before cuddling up to Darrel. She seemed fond of him.

"Well," Darrel said to her, smiling at the furry fiend, "Let's get going for some lunch, shall we?" Sycamore took this as a sign Darrel would take her with him anyway. I was surprised, after that performance. Did he really like the little critter?

"Darrel, you're forgetting something," Sycamore called, pointing at me. I had moved to his head again and he had barely noticed. He looked up, and I peeked over his cap. He smiled knowingly.

"I guess I'll take this little guy along with me," he said, staring. Sycamore sighed, as if resigning himself to the decision. Waving goodbye, We all left on a journey together.


	3. Chapter 3

As we left the Pokemon lab, we stepped into the sunlight, and Darrel suddenly tensed. I looked down at him, and he lifted me off his head.

"Y'know, there're a lot of people who'd want to have a friend like you. So many that they'd go to extreme lengths to do so. It might be a good idea to stay invisible for the most part." I nodded, though I didn't quite understand, and hopped into his bag before becoming invisible. I wasn't too careful, and I found myself face-first in a pile of fluff.

"Hey! Watch it!" Sadie cried, glaring at me. I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly, and apologized, but she didn't seem to take it very well. Huffing, she turned away and glared at the side of the backpack. I poked my head out and decided to watch the scenery go by. Far more interesting than a wound-up Eevee. There were trees all over, and I was fascinated to see the different forms human ingenuity took. Cars raced by within a heartbeat, all kinds of humans alike taring out the windows. I awed at the many buildings around me, tall skyscrapers and stout cafés scattered everywhere. A few buildings proudly stated their purpose, while others merely hid in the back alleys of the complicated city.

"Let's see... there's café Soleil up that-a-way, and Café Lysandre just beyond that plaza over..." Darrel murmured over a piece of paper, which seemed to show different places nearby. How interesting! I peeked over his shoulder to see what he was looking for, but he suddenly closed it and glanced around.

"Oh no, oh no... not _her_ again.." he muttered, before breaking out into a run. I quickly returned to his backpack, then peeped over the zipper to see someone chasing us.

Sadie joined me looking at our pursuer, and commented, "She doesn't look very threatening."

"I know," I replied, "but Darrel seems pretty scared. Maybe she's a stalker? I've heard stalkers are pretty scary." I looked back to the girl, whose wispy auburn hair flew out behind her like streamers. Talk about a party. She had a strangely excited grin strewn across her face, and seemed to be having the time of her life.

The girl was definitely not faster than Darrel. He often got far away, until we could barely see her skirt-clad form, but she was smarter. Either that or she knew the town better, because before long she leaped in front of him as he tried to enter someplace called 'Magenta Plaza'.

"AUGH!" Darrel screamed, turning quickly, but not quick enough. She grabbed him by the collar, and stood with her arm dangerously close to my ear. I could see her up close now, and I could also see why Darrel was kind of scared of her.

The girl was taller than most, that was for sure. I had to look up to even see her eyes, which glowed gold in a furious fashion. Her shirt was a greyish-pink, and her plaid skirt swooshed to a stop as she finally stopped moving. Darrel gasped for his breath, reaching behind him to try and pull the girl's hands away, but Sadie got there first.

Chomp.

"Ow!" she cried, shaking Sadie off her hand. grasping it protectively, she stared at the Eevee for a few seconds, as if thinking something through. Then, she lifted Sadie off the ground and cuddled her, though I'm sure Sadie thought she was being throttled.

"Oh my gosh Darrel! Is this your starter pokemon? She's just adorable! Look at that grumpy face! Never in a million years did I think you'd choose a pokemon this cute!" She calmed down and put Sadie back in Darrel's arms, where Sadie sat growling for about five minutes as Darrel was dragged forcefully into café Lysandre.

The girl bought three drinks and placed them accordingly, with one being for Sadie. With a cautious glance, Sadie drank for a while, then invited me up to have a share. We drank as Darrel and the girl talked.

"Adina, how many times have I asked you not to do that? You scared me out of my wits!" he moaned, groaning into the tabletop.

"Come now, Darrel, I'm sure you saw me before I started my way over! And anyway, it earned you a free drink from the most expensive café around!" She laughed, waving off the claim. She sipped her Pumpkaboo Spice casually before continuing.

"So, tell me about your Eevee. She's a real cutie." Adina smiled at Sadie, who growled back before taking a calm sip from our drink.

Darrel sighed. "If you had a pokedollar's worth of hindsight, you would have noticed that you caught me leaving the Sycamore Pokemon Lab, Adina. I just got her. Getting to know anyone takes time." Adina laughed at herself for a few seconds before gleefully admitting her lack of consciousness for her surroundings. "Her name is Sadie, and I think she just likes to have a bit more control over situations than most pokemon. It's a good thing." Sadie smiled to herself as she lapped up the Poke Pizazz and the compliments.

It was around the time the sun was setting, after a bit of catch-up stories of what they'd been doing since they last met, when Darrel again became nervous. He was headed for Route 4 as Adina walked by him, trying to continue the conversation.

"Uh, Adina...?" he finally stuttered, though he was still acting like a scaredy-Meowth. "Shouldn't you be headed for R-route 5...?" Adina suddenly stopped and giggled nervously.

"Well..." she began, not looking us in the eye, "I kind of forgot to buy some pokeballs back in Santalune..."

"You what?" Darrel urged, confused. "Can't you get them there?" He pointed behind him, towards a large blue-white sign which read, Poké Mart.

"Yeah, but.." she groaned in exasperation. "Oh forget it! I got lost!" she cried. "It's not like I have a map, and anyway, I'm not going to stop you. You're on your way to Santalune to challenge the gym, right?"

Darrel shied away visibly. "I-I need to do some other things first, but yeah..."

"Then let me help you! I've already beaten it, so with my advice, you should have no problem!" She announced triumphantly, as she pushed him along. "Come on, move it! We don't have much time before sunset!"

"Can't we just stay in the Pokémon Center here?" Darrel asked.

"Oh yeah," Adina replied, before turning to the Pokémon Center, dragging us forcefully behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

"So!" Adina proclaimed, standing at the window of the second-floor bedroom in the Lumiose City Pokémon Center closest to the Pokémon Lab, "Here we are at another day's end. How're you feeling about your first day on a journey, Darrel?" She turned to her sleepy companion who was snuggled up with Sadie and I.

"Goodnight," Darrel yawned at his auburn-haired companion, turning over. Sadie quietly organized herself at the side of the bed, before letting out a reserved sigh and collapsing into her makeshift five-star bed. It was already eight, and the moon had already begun to shine its pale beams into the room. I sat on the desk next to Darrel, deciding that watching Adina try and make conversation was far more interesting than sleep.

"Oh, why do I try? Fine! Waste your life sleeping for all I care!" She cried, but I could see her eyelids drooping even as she spoke. With a loud yawn, she tried to go to sleep.

I figure that at this point I should've just gone to sleep myself, but I was too excited. I was going to get to see the world! At long last, no more lonely days in that tree in the middle of nowhere. I looked to the moon from a different angle for the first time in...

In...?

Oh, whatever. I don't even remember a time when I'd seen it from somewhere other than my hollow. I swore that since the day I was named Deathcandi I had never seen the moon like this. I almost wanted to go up and touch it.

"Eeeee!" I suddenly turned to see Adina squealing at the top of her lungs. Couldn't she keep it down? Oh, wait a second, she hadn't seen me before. Of course, if a guy just suddenly apparated into your room, that would make you scream.

"Darrel Darrel Darrel wake up now now now!" she yelled, shaking him violently. Sadie turned to look sleepily at the commotion and Darrel merely groaned.

"What now Adina...?" he asked, before lifting himself from his bed and going over to me. She pointed at me in a striking fashion, and for a moment I felt bad for surprising her. Probably gave her a heart attack.

"Darrel that's a _Mew! A REAL MEW!_ " she squealed, before rushing towards me and hugging me. I felt like I as going to choke, but Darrel managed to pry me from her arms in time to save me from an untimely death.

"I know," Darrel replied fondly, stroking me behind the ears. I couldn't help but purr a little. "This is my friend. He followed me on my way from Coumarine. I found out when I went to professor Sycamore's place." He began to walk slowly back to bed. "I guess he lived in that tree before."

"Wait up, Darrel," Adina protested. "There aren't any trees between here and Coumarine." Darrel looked back, confused as I was. Was this girl really that bad at navigation? I looked to Darrel to correct the situation, but instead, a confused look spread across his face, as if someone had just struck him with an Oran berry pie. He began to murmur something inaudible. He looked kind of shocked, and I waved at him to try and bring him out of his fuzzy state.

"Oh yeah," he murmured, still dazed, as he placed me on the bed opposite. "There weren't any trees in the Lumiose Badlands..." He sat down on his bed and slowly tried to understand how what was happening was happening.

I was sure he was confused. My tree had been around for ages. It wasn't like it just popped up out of nowhere. Right?

We decided after long debates over trees and me and what to do tomorrow that we would just continue after we'd recovered our energy. Sadie and I were given the luxury of a bunk to ourselves, and with nothing better to do, we slept.

The next morning brought a lot of tired glances from other trainers, although none paid much attention since I had made myself invisible. I had to admit, having to be invisible all the time was getting boring. Fast. At least I now had Sadie to talk to, although she wasn't much for conversation. She was napping in Darrel's bag as I rode on Adina's shoulder. Talk about beauty sleep.

Darrel had barely began to open his eyes before Adina had started dragging us out of the door, talking about mazes and gardens and someplace called 'route 4'. I looked around at the city, which seemed semi-abandoned in the early morning, and wondered how she managed to get up when she'd barely had any sleep. I decided to check her bag, and was surprised to find that there was barely anything inside. Darrel's was filled with things - food, maps, Pokeballs, everything - and I would have expected Adina's to be the same.

As we walked towards the Pokemart, I realized why she wanted to get up early. 'Half-price until from midnight to 7AM' proclaimed a sign outside the door. She rushed in, bought a pile of supplies, then returned, barely breathing under the weight of what must have been at least six shopping bags.

"I couldn't stop myself!" she protested when asked what she was doing. "The early start deal didn't cancel out my coupons, and I got almost everything at 70% off! Who could ignore a bargain like that?"

"At least we're not hurting for supplies," Darrel sighed, sending a hand through his hair. "Let's get going for route 4. I want to catch a new member for my team soon, too." At this, Sadie leaped out from her spot in Darrel's backpack and mewed in concern, balancing precariously on his shoulder.

"You can't mean to be replacing us?!" She cried, alarmed. I almost flew away laughing, before I briefly explained the mechanics of what trainers did. She sighed in relief when I told her that trainers could have up to six Pokémon at any given time. We returned to walking, and soon we found ourselves in route 4.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N; This is the first of three chapters today.

* * *

A loud bang went off just ahead of us. It was followed by an high-pitched sound, and without thinking we all began to approach the source. I took the liberty of leaving Darrel's backpack, and together we sped forward to see the commotion's cause. Darrel, being the faster of the two, quickly got to the source - a large fountain - while Adina tried her best to catch up. Looking around, I saw what I swore was some sort of psychic force disappear into the water.

"What happened here?" Darrel asked, confused. A taller trainer with a Nidoran replied.

"We were just training when this, this thing came flying through the undergrowth and kind of went into the water." He shook his head. "I say kind of because it looked a lot more like a, oh, a portal or something!" Darrel nodded and glanced up at me before heading cautiously over to the fountain. He stuck his head over the water, using his hands for support, and stared in, trying to see if he could see anything. I floated up behind him and hovered over his shoulder. I could hear Adina in the distance, finally reaching us. A straight pathway probably wasn't her strong point.

Staring at the water, it seemed... wrong, somehow. Like it was water at some point, but then it got tampered with. Was it just my eyes lying to me, or was that-?

WHAM.

"Wha-" Darrel cried, loosing his balance. Falling head-first into the oversized pidgey-bath, I waited for him to hit his head or something. I formed a psychic sphere of air around us, clinging on for dear life to his shoulder and hoping it was enough. I wondered how deep the fountain was. Blinking, I looked, expecting water and stone.

"Woah..."

We were surrounded by what appeared to be a land of... a sort of castle in the clouds, oddly enough. Darrel found it all quite amusing at first, until he realised there wasn't a way back. And that he had landed on his head.

"We could just explore or something," I suggested, and he jumped about five feet into the air, knocking me off-balance and realigning him with gravity.

"Okay, sure!" he cried, "Just after I figure out why I just understood what you said!" I laughed a little.

"Doofus. I could always talk. I just didn't." I laughed again, but then I stopped. "Wait, why is my voice physical? That's not how this all works. Y'know, the telly-pathy-whatever? This is weird." I turned to Sadie, who had only just gotten the courage to come out from her safe position in Darrel's backpack.

"Oh... my head feels all woozy..." She murmured, in a proper voice as well. She perked up considerably at noticing she could speak. Leaping out, she promptly fell over into a pile of what I assumed were clouds. "Didi, what happened?"

"Uh, who's Didi?" Darrel asked.

"You," She replied, grinning at being able to talk. "Mind giving me a lift?" Darrel answered her by picking her up around the torso and putting her gently onto his shoulder. She adjusted herself and glanced about.

"Where are we again? I thought this was a fountain, not fairyland."

"It was," Darrel groaned. "Don't ask me why we're here. One minute I was looking into a fountain, the next I'm knocked silly and dropped into a cloudy castle place." Sadie nodded in understanding.

"I felt that knock. Gotcha, so, are we exploring?"

"I guess so." I was already off before Darrel could finish his sentence. I quickly got from the field of clouds to the strange castle-ish thing. It seemed weird, because the image just wasn't quite right. Darker clouds mixed in with the cotton candy type, and it seemed so unoccupied that it was dark within. Darrel caught up quickly and saw the same things I did.

"Um... Let's see, maybe binoculars would do it..." he pulled a pair from his backpack and stared through them at the castle, presumably looking into the windows. Suddenly, he stopped moving around, and began to follow something that was moving erratically. I followed his line of sight and picked up on two forms flying about within. Leaping into action, Darrel ran for the gates and threw them open, and quickly traversed a large open room and a few scattered hallways. Everything in the castle was in disarray, ripped or torn, and felt abandoned. Leaping over a fallen bookcase and ignoring a couple of spider webs on his shirt, he found himself eye to eye with a large shadowy form.

"Wha- YOU'RE THE INTRUDER!" it cried, a deep and threatening voice emanating from the shadow.

"I didn't mean to!" Darrel protested. "I just fell in here! Something knocked me over!"

"A LIKELY STORY!" The shadow hissed back, his blue eyes screaming suspicion.

As we were about to get blasted away, a much more charming voice called, "Dark! I told you about this..." The shadow groaned and immediately warped through the floor into nothingness, as a glimmering light approached. Curious, I peeked around the corner, Darrel not far behind. He stared in awe at the sight before us.

The room itself looked clean and cared for, for lack of better words. Everything smacked of being new and refreshed. In the back of the room was a large built-in throne of sorts, and in that throne was what could only be described as some sort of Pokémon. She floated a few feet off the ground, with a long straight tail and a rounded body. Around her, three half-hoops of what must have been pure energy flowed around her. Her head was covered in a protective form the shape of a quarter moon on either side, with a gem of great power adorning her forehead.

"Hello, Darrel," Cresselia, the Lunar duo's kinder half, smiled. "I see you have met my... balancing factor, Darkrai. I'm afraid he doesn't take kindly to people often." Darrel gave a gasp of relief which expressed his agreement. She smiled briefly.

"You're quite intriguing, you know," she commented, floating casually down from her throne. "It isn't every day we get visited by those from the waking world. This is where people go when they sleep, and yet you are awake." One of her coiling rings bent and reached out to Darrel, touching his cheek. He flinched briefly. "Perhaps you would consider an opportunity..." As the energy began to flow, Darrel suddenly felt something flash through his head.

 _Power dreams nightmares help alive need hope taken_

 _Rescued._

Darrel blinked. He was staring at the sun. "Too bright..."

 _Yeah, state the obvious,_ I thought, staring at Darrel, who was lying on the ground. Now that had been weird. Was Cresselia real there, or was it just our imagination? Or... oh, whatever, Legendaries are confusing. Most of them. I was fine. Sadie shook herself and immediately began to try and clean herself, her mane ruffled from the journey. Adina grabbed at me from behind and hugged me. A few trainers just stared.

"Oi, Darrel, you awake?" Adina asked, letting me go. She'd been secretive enough, thank Arceus, that no one had noticed me.

"I think I am, but I'm not sure." He pinched his cheeks experimentally, garnering a giggle or two, and grinned. "Yup, I'm awake." He brushed off the dust from being inexplicably on the ground and stared up again. At trees, and bushes, and road.

"Where'd the fountain go?" he asked, confused. The Nidoran trainer spoke up.

"It disappeared when you touched it!" he exclaimed, equally confused.

After brief confusion, someone called an officer Jenny over, who quickly made the onlookers disperse. Adina handled explanations while Darrel considered what had happened. Sure, he might have just hit his head really hard and gotten knocked out, but... The fountain wouldn't just up and disappear. That just doesn't happen. And the place where we had been definitely felt like a dream world, and yet... we had control and such. Weird. So, was that the real Cresselia, or...?

"Gee Sadie, all this is making my head hurt," Darrel commented.

 _"Yeah, talk about it,"_ Sadie replied. Darrel jumped for the second time, and glanced at her. Her eyes widened.

"Do that again, say anything, whatever," Darrel prompted, and she experimentally spoke.

 _"Uh, Testing 123?"_ she tried, and realising it was heard, she leaped for joy, her fluffy tail wagging like a wind shield wiper. " _WAY COOL! Now I can ask Didi to get me Poke Pizazz whenever I want!"_ Darrel grinned back and pulled Adina away towards Santalune.

We arrived shortly afterwards, and soon we were headed to a clearing south of town. Setting up something, he dragged a few rocks over and made a makeshift seating area. Sitting down himself, he went through his backpack for his pokédex. He put his bag to one side and did some basic searches.

"Okay, Santalune Gym Leader... Viola! Here we go! Two pokémon... Oh, a Surskit? Those are cute... and a Vivillon. Let's see..." He briefly did some research. Sadie sat next to Adina as she brushed Sadie's fur back into working order. After a few minutes he got up again, and Sadie leaped down, assuming he had something to say.

"So, Sadie, we're going to work on some new moves. You only have Tackle and Growl at the moment, right?" Sadie nodded seriously, eager to know what was next.

"Hmm. Well, since there's not much that's just basic training... uh, we'll try learning Swift. Let me set up a rock for you to shoot at, and then we'll get you trying that." Sadie perked up considerably, and as soon as Darrel was out of the way she began building power to try a Swift attack.

"So, uh, Mew I guess?" Darrel said, glad to understand what I was saying.

" _Nope. Deathcandi."_

"Uh, okay. That's a pretty cool name." Darrel replied.

" _Yeah, that's about the size of it."_ I heard a few clinks as Sadie managed to hit the rock with the formless energy blasts. Not doing much, but it was a start.

"Hey Sadie, what is the tactic to Swift anyway?" Darrel asked.

 _"Not quite sure,_ " Sadie replied, throwing more formless objects that clinked harmlessly against the stone. " _I know it's pure focused energy, and that it needs to have a target, but..._ " She focused again, and this time one of the objects actually looked like a star. It swivelled around and smacked into the rock, denting it.

"Great Job!" Darrel called. "Keep going, I think we're getting it!" Sadie nodded and repeated the process, aiming at the rock from one side so that it had to target. This time, five flawless stars swung around and hit the rock in succession, leaving a small pile of pebbles. Smiling proudly, she fluffed her mane and appeared prim, though nothing could hide the huge smile on her face.

"Let's celebrate - I'll get you a poke Pizazz or something," Adina said, and they headed for a nearby café.

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A/N; This chapter is written after binge-reading Ashes of the Past for about three weeks. Please note that references to a 147 chapters and counting story may be strewn about wildly, and that I may try to psychically force readers to read Ashes of the Past.

Hint hint.

Regardless, while making teams for this lovable duo I realised that Darrel really needed some superpowers. This is why he now has the magical ability to talk to Pokémon! (Who saw this coming?) Also, Castle in the Sky is fun to write about. Because Castle.


	6. Chapter 6

This is the second of three chapters today.

* * *

" _What's up?"_ I asked, and Sadie's gaze did not revert from the person who had just walked into the café.

She murmured, " _That's her! The actual, the only... Ali! It's Princess Ali!"_ I glanced at the Altaria who was standing next to a trainer dressed in a fancy blue dress. I had to admit, she was well groomed, and gave off an air of dignity.

"Darrel!" Adina hissed, and he snapped into attention. "That's Lisia! The Coordinator who swept the country last year! And that's her Altaria!" Darrel seemed to realise something, but was uninterested, and went back to his food, probably still thinking about his next battle with the gym leader. We were cut short when this 'Lisia' began to speak.

"Ah! You there!" Lisia called, noticing Darrel. Adina perked up visibly, but was ignored, and Lisia walked straight past and went up to Darrel. "That Eevee! Is it yours?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied shiftily, nervous under the oppressive air. "She's my starter." Lisia nodded confidently.

"Yes! I see! Spectacular!" She cried, grinning. I noticed her arms were surrounded by strange fluffy bands that looked like Altaria's clouds. Ali, the Altaria, chirped an agreement.

" _Indeed, Lisia!"_ She called out. Glancing at Sadie, she said, _"Sorry, little lady. My trainer - Lisia - is quite dedicated when she finds someone she likes. Just bear with it. She's kind of over her heels about your trainer right now."_ Sadie blinked in confusion. _"Who brushed your fur, by the way? It's done well."_

" _Oh, Adina did that,"_ Sadie explained, after snapping out of her daze and tossing her head in Adina's general direction. She turned her attention to Darrel and Lisia. " _Do you think Darrel will be able to survive your trainer?"_

Darrel looked like he was going to choke. Lisia had pulled a chair over from nowhere, bought them lunch, and was insisting on having them tell her about Kalos. Something about only being in Hoenn before, and wanting to travel about. Darrel seemed to become smaller and smaller as she pressured him. He answered her questions as quietly as possible, but that did nothing to deter the sideways glances that the two were getting.

"So, Darrel... what do you think about Pokémon contests?" She asked, moving in. He thought carefully before answering.

"Um, I don't know much about them, except what Adina's told me... Contests are where Pokémon compete in a way other than battling, right? Where appearance matters more?" Lisia nodded happily.

"Definitely! Your Eevee is just Dazzling! Dizzying! Doldrums defying!" She struck a heroic pose. "Which is why I say she should try contests!" Sadie seemed almost ready to topple over from sheer shock and awe. I didn't see what was so weird or wonderful, but I didn't really care. I could figure out stuff from Sadie's expressions.

"Not right now. Maybe later, once I've at least challenged a few gyms." Sadie sighed at Darrel's comment. "But, It is a good idea. I will, just not right away." She decided to be happy with 'someday' and went back to her Poké Pizazz.

"Not right away better be soon, Darrel!" Lisia called, walking out of the café. He sighed in relief once he was certain she was gone.

"Ah, thank Arceus that's over," He groaned, muffled by the table which his forehead had connected with. "I never want to talk to her again..."

"Darrel, you can't be serious! She's famous!" Adina cried.

"I. Don't. Care," He muttered. "She's annoying and disruptive. I just wanted to figure out how to teach Sadie a type effective move." He got up and walked out, leaving some money on the table to pay. Sadie and I followed him, and Adina walked out soon after.

"The point is we don't have anything good against bug types," Darrel moaned, still upset. "I just need to deliberately teach Sadie something that would be effective." He thought carefully. "A fire type move, a flying type... heck, even rock throw would work! Just something..." Sadie tapped him on the leg.

" _I think I could learn Aerial Ace pretty easily. It's not that hard, and half the move is part of swift,"_ She explained. Darrel smiled and they went back to training in the clearing. Soon Sadie was slamming her head into rocks. Literally. At least all I had to do was sit still as Adina groomed me.

"Is it just me or is Darrel literally talking to Sadie?" Adina asked no one in particular.

" _Yeah, he is,"_ I replied, purring loudly. " _Whatever happened at the fountain that no longer is made that happen."_

"Woah, did you talk to me?!" She stopped, then ridiculed herself. "Oh, duh, telepathy. Anyway, thanks for telling me." She went back to brushing the fur on my back, and I went back to purring loudly. A few minutes later Sadie had Aerial Ace down and was trying to learn Rock Throw.

" _So how did you do this again?"_ Sadie asked, at the ready.

"Well, it isn't that much of a concept, Sadie. You pick up a rock, you throw it."

" _Oh."_ She grabbed a stone in her muzzle and threw it haphazardly at the larger rock.

Clink.

" _There, I did it."_ She sniffed. " _That rock smelled bad. Can we work on something else? A fire move would be cool._ " Darrel sighed and went back to researching fire type moves.

He cringed when a voice floated over. "Hey, Darrel! It's me, Lisia! Can we have a battle?" She was waving a pokéball triumphantly. "I wanna train up the Spewpa I caught! You can't find them in Hoenn!"

"Fine," Darrel groaned. To Sadie, he asked, "You up to it?" She nodded confidently and stood at the ready as Lisia let out a newly-caught Spewpa.

"Cool! The Eevee! Alright, Spewpa, let's go for a Tackle!" Spewpa shuddered and rushed forwards as fast as a half-cocoon could. Sadie leaped out of the way, though the blow grazed her foot from the surprise, and she balanced before launching an attack of her own.

"Sadie, give them a Swift!" Darrel called, running into position. Sadie complied, forming the energy and launching five glowing stars at the Cocoon. Shuddering, it was obviously damaged. She grinned, and went to ready a tackle, rushing forward.

"Spewpa! Use Protect!" Lisia called, and moments before Sadie's attack hit, the small bug put up a bright green shield which blocked her attack and forced her away. Backing up, she leaped out of the way of a string shot and launched another swift. This one hit and made Spewpa cringe.

" _Shoot! My protect won't work again... what now, Lisia?"_ Spewpa asked, his spores falling. She grinned and pulled a potion.

"Oh, you wouldn't..." Darrel groaned, as she healed her Pokémon. Spewpa smiled up at her and leaped back into battle, as healthy as before. "You know what, Sadie? Go for an Aerial Ace."

"But Eevee can't learn-" Lisia was cut off as Sadie leaped heroically into the air and piloted down into Spewpa, a large crash and a pile of dust ensuing. Sadie shook her fur and walked, unharmed, out of the dust, leaving an unconscious Spewpa lying on the ground surrounded by a small crater. Lisia merely gaped for a few seconds.

Recomposing herself, she returned Spewpa. "Dazzling," she murmured.

" _Dizzying."_ Spewpa quoted, before the return beam of the pokéball pulled him back.

" _Doldrums defying,"_ Ali called, imitating a clapping motion with her wings. Sadie posed proudly before returning to Darrel's bag for a nap. Ali comforted her trainer as Lisia admitted defeat.

"You were great. I figured it would be easy, but... that Aerial Ace came from nowhere." Darrel nodded quietly, taking in Lisia's words.

"It's not your fault. We were practising for bug types, after all." He struck a thumb over in the direction of Santalune gym. "Now it's time to see how much I get ripped up by Viola," Lisia laughed and cheered up after that quote, and we headed in separate directions. I waved to Ali as we left, and she spread a wing in reply, before we walked into the Pokémon center.

"Just your Eevee?" The nurse asked, as Darrel put her in her Pokéball and passed her over.

"Yeah, we're challenging a gym," He replied.

"Viola, right?" She agreed, as the machine booted up and began healing Sadie from her battle with Spewpa. "She's a good one to start with. Here," she handed him Sadie's pokéball, and he immediately released her again so she could see what was happening. Adina dragged us out, and we walked until we found the Gym.

"So this is it," Darrel said, looking at the building. It had a green roof and a well made structure. "Well, in we go!" He opened the door, albeit a bit nervously, and was welcomed by the gym instructor.

"Welcome! Adina, I'm afraid you can't take the challenge again yet," he apologized.

"I'm the one taking the challenge," Darrel complained, trying to look taller. He looked over Adina's shoulder to try and see what was in the room.

"Oh! I see!" He cried, turning to Darrel. "Just hop down that pole there and you'll be in the gym!" Darrel stared at the pole in mistrust before carefully grabbing the end and sliding down. I followed him, using a little bit of psychic energy to slow his drop, and he plopped down gently onto what appeared to be an oversized web in a small undergrowth. He balanced himself and began a precarious tightrope walk across the web's strings.

"Agh! This is the third dead end!" He moaned. I almost felt like I should do something to help, but what could I do? Without drawing attention, anyway. Sadie popped her head out of the bag.

" _Darrel, why don't you just jump across the web towards the gym leader? She's just over there."_ Darrel considered for a moment before leaping from web string to web string, and at long last he reached the gym leader.

"Oi! Just Fantastic. I should really update the rules to disallow that..." Viola groaned, as Darrel jumped to a photo finish at a solid platform. Adina had taken the proper path and let out Ember to watch. The Monferno grinned eagerly at some of the vines strewn about and swung around as Viola introduced herself.

"SO! You got past my obstacle course, and in a rather fantastic - if objectionable - way." She picked up her camera and snapped a photo of Sadie, before continuing. "The battle is two on two. Which Pokémon will you use?"

"I just have Sadie at the moment, others are just travelling with me," I drooped, but honestly, I wouldn't stand a chance anyway. I really needed to learn some moves...

"Okay! Then I'll use my trusty Vivillon!" She called, releasing the bug-type. Its wings fluttered as it stayed airborne, and Sadie marched into the battle proudly.

"Alright! Sadie, start out with a tackle attack!" Sadie complied, running quickly around a botched tackle from Vivillon and got one of the wings. Vivillon glared, however impossible it seemed to be, and Sadie backed up, ready to block or dodge.

"Vivillon! Use infestation!" Viola cried, and Vivillon cried out loudly. Sadie yelped as something rose from the floor and began to nip at her fur.

" _Wha-EW! Bugs chewing my fur?! Inexcusable!"_ Sadie fumed. Darrel considered for a moment.

"Sadie! Hurry about and launch a swift when you get an opening!" Darrel called, and she quickly began to move around. Launching herself off some of the scenery, Vivillon launched another tackle which grazed Sadie but left Vivillon exposed.

" _Tackle, you dirty bug-summoning MOTH!"_ Sadie cried, anger fuelling her energy. She smacked the flying bug silly until it floated slowly downwards.

" _How Rude!"_ Vivillon complained, offended. _"I am the most beautiful flying type in all of Kalos!"_

 _Talk about vanity,_ I thought to myself. _That flutterer has a problem._ She flew around, sending out another tackle, and letting the previous Infestation eat away at Sadie's health. They were about equal, but Vivillon was gaining the lead on Sadie.

"Alright, Vivillon! Let's finish him! Use Infestation again!" Viola called.

"Agh. Forget this," Darrel groaned to himself. To Sadie, he called, "Use Aerial Ace!"

" _Wha-"_ The bug-type cried, as a brownish bullet catapulted into her at high speed. Sadie leaped off the clearly unconscious bug, shivered, and quickly began to clean herself.

"Good job," Viola praised. She tossed her only other pokéball. "Surskit, break her thunder!"

"Not so fast," Darrel called, grinning, and spraying a potion on Sadie's fur. She purred in pleasure before leaping into action.

" _Viola, I'm a water type. How am I supposed to fight thunder?"_ Surskit asked, groaning.

"Surskit! Quick Attack!" Viola ordered, and Surskit sighed, swinging around to quickly launch herself at Sadie.

"Up and smack down!" Darrel called at the last second, and Sadie leaped high and swung her tail around to hit the watery Pokémon. It shook itself and moved away again.

"Now! Use Bubble!" Viola cried, panicky. A few measly bubbles came from Surskit's mouth and popped near Sadie.

" _That was an attack?"_ Sadie muttered, glancing at the Surskit.

" _I'm intended to fight fire types,"_ The bug admitted as Sadie threw a rock to finish the job. Seeing her defeat, Viola returned Surskit before the rock even hit.

"Fantastic. Here you go, have the Bug Badge," she tossed a small pin over to Darrel. Adina's Monferno, Ember, caught it before it reached his hands, but was understanding enough to pass it back to him. "And next time, don't expect it to be that easy. I didn't realise that Eevee of yours had such diverse moves." Eevee stood proudly in the battlefield, before Ember lifted her up and plopped her down in front of Adina. We left as Adina began to brush Sadie down - some of the bugs from the infestation hadn't left, and it was probably some brief relief for her.

After a brief visit to the Pokémon Center, Sadie was looking much better. Grinning at her victory and the continuous stroking she got from Adina, we all decided to crash for the night.

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A/N; So. While I make stupid Disney references using characters that definitely deserve some action, Sadie makes quick work of the first gym leader using some questionable tactics, and Darrel discovers that he can defeat a gym leader with one Eevee and a few good uses of normal and flying type moves, as well as some creativity and teaching a pokémon moves it is not 'allowed' to learn. Tauros droppings, I say. Let the crazy move-sets take the world by storm!


	7. Chapter 7

This is the third of three chapters today.

* * *

"GOOD MORNING SLEEPYHEAD!" Adina cried, shaking Darrel awake.

I glided over and tried a move I'd been practising on his face, to which he replied, "Deathcandi...? Ow. Was that double slap?"

" _Yup!"_ I replied, pulling him up. " _I want to get going!"_ I moved over to Sadie's pokéball and poked it, releasing her.

" _Ahhh, that was nice,"_ Sadie yawned, glancing about. She leaped onto Darrel's shoulder. " _Where're we headed?"_

"I was thinking going back to Lumiose," Darrel admitted. "I want to check out the electric type gym, although we won't be battling it yet, and I also want to talk to Sycamore. I did get some info on this Pokédex after all," He tapped the machine that was on the bedside table in the Santalune Pokémon Center. He stretched, and together we headed back through Route 4.

"I see they've already rebuilt that fountain," Adina commented, seeing a few construction workers and some Timburr working on a replica. Sadie waved at one of them as they walked past.

" _These guys were my friends. I see they've been assigned some work,"_ Sadie commented, glancing at one of the smaller Timburr who had waved. We quickly reached Lumiose after that.

"Darrel, mind if I go shopping?" Adina asked. "I haven't had a chance recently." Darrel nodded, and she quickly rushed for the nearest mart. Sighing, he sat down on a bench nearby and surfed through his backpack for breakfast. he managed a few sandwiches and tossed one for me and one for Sadie. We ate in silence for a bit, then began a short walk over to the Pokémon Research lab.

"Huh?" Darrel said, shuffling to one side. I looked down to see a small Greenish-Brownish Pokémon nudging Darrel with his horns. I hovered over and tried to communicate.

" _What's wrong?"_ I asked.

" _Uh, um... You had a sandwich."_

 _"Yeah, what about it?"_

 _"Can I have one? Please?"_

Darrel understood and pulled a final sandwich from his pack. Handing it to the small Skiddo, he got up. "Sorry, little guy, but I have to go and talk to someone. You can have that sandwich." I floated back up to Darrel's eye level and we entered the large building for the second time.

Sycamore put down a few papers he was messing with. "Oh, Darrel! Back so fast? How's Sadie?" Darrel waved, and Sadie peeked out from her hideout in Darrel's bag. Sycamore laughed.

"I see she's doing well. Have you made any progress?" he asked.

"Yeah," Darrel replied, taking a seat at the bench set out for visitors. "I've got my first badge, but I haven't caught any Pokémon yet. I don't think I'll be going for the 'catch them all' route. Only the ones I really want as friends." Sycamore looked impressed.

"Congrats!" Sycamore congratulated. "I presume it was Viola you beat? How did you do it?" He glanced at Sadie in curiosity.

"I taught Sadie Aerial Ace and Swift," he replied, stroking her fur. Sadie purred loudly as I flew up to the chandelier and hung out on it. "Now that I think about it, Smack Down as well, albeit only briefly."

"Interesting. Normally Eevee don't learn those moves, but..." he shot a distasteful glance at Sadie - "I guess enough determination can change that." Sadie looked officially offended. Her anger was only matched by her desire to not be like Viola's Vivillon, and it was interesting to watch her try and stop herself from launching an Aerial Ace at Sycamore. I watched as Darrel discussed his various strategies for the upcoming gyms.

"I think I'm going to try and catch a grass type. They'd seem fun to raise, and they can be rather useful." Sycamore nodded approvingly.

"Chespin was a fun Pokémon to raise when I began raising starters," Sycamore agreed. "Plus, they are well balanced. Just have to watch out for fire and flying types and such." Darrel nodded, but the conversation was interrupted by the sound of the doors opening automatically. A startled Skiddo with a half-eaten sandwich in his mouth stood at the doorway.

"Come in," Sycamore called, and the child quietly walked over, hooves tapping on the hard floor. He approached, sniffed experimentally, and then approached Darrel.

" _Mister, can you understand what I'm saying?_ " He asked, looking up at Darrel.

"Uh, yeah, thanks to some help from a friend of mine," Darrel admitted, glancing up at me.

The Skiddo seemed nervous. His hooves tapped nervously as his leaf-adorned coat shook. " _I... would like help. Finding my trainer."_

Sadie opened one eye from where she was being brushed. " _What's your trainer like?"_

" _Well... she's really tall, and she has gold fur,"_ Skiddo replied. " _My sister and I were caught by her a while back. She hangs out at some of the cafés near here sometimes, according to the Skiddo around here, but I've never been able to catch her."_ Sadie nodded in understanding, and Darrel got out his Pokédex.

"Let's see... why don't we try Café Lysandre first?" Darrel asked, and Skiddo agreed. We left Sycamore and went for Café Lysandre. Adina joined us about halfway there.

"Darrel! I got some cool stuff!" Adina called, before slowing down. "Who's this little fella?"

"A Skiddo I'm helping, he's a bit lost." Darrel followed the map to the red café doors, and quickly went inside. He searched for a blonde trainer and quickly found someone who fit the description. She was discussing something with a person in a red-clad suit.

"So, induction into Team Flare is quite difficult, but I say you fit the description perfectly. You're in," The red-clad person said. The blonde nodded vigorously, but suddenly felt the tug at her leg. Looking down, she seemed to almost glare at the Skiddo.

" _Do you remember me?"_ Skiddo asked.

"Ugh. How did you get in here anyway? Stupid Pokémon." She promptly kicked the Skiddo aside, knocking him over, much to the surprise of the onlookers. Turning back to the red-clad agent, she said, "I've nearly got enough. Only a few days now and I'll be able to join." She got up, and was about to leave, when she was stopped by Adina.

"Oh no you didn't." She glared at the shorter girl. Height had its advantages, I had to admit. "You didn't just kick the Skiddo you abandoned here." Adina let out Ember, who hung menacingly on her shoulder. "I'm not letting that pass so easily." With a flick of her wrist, she stepped aside, and Ember chased the blonde out the door, flames brimming at the edges of his mouth in eagerness. The blonde didn't even think to call a Pokémon. She just ran.

"That'll be enough," She muttered, and after a few seconds she recalled her starter. He grinned and handed Skiddo a pokéball.

" _Don't think she'll be back,"_ He admitted. " _Chasing her was fun though! I got your pokéball back too!"_ Skiddo looked at his pokéball sadly.

"" _What do I do now?"_ He wondered, poking the ball idly. " _Mister, what should I do?"_

"I don't know what you should do," Darrel admitted. "but if you think you're up to coming with us, I have been looking for a new team mate. What do you think?"

Skiddo thought for a moment, then nudged the pokéball towards Darrel. " _I guess you're right. I'll come with you."_ He pushed the button with his nose to re-enter the dusty pokéball. Darrel picked it up happily and left the café.

"Let's make a brief visit to the Pokémon center. I want to heal up Skiddo and see what we can do for him today." Adina followed him out, and we went for the Pokémon center outside the Research Lab.

* * *

"He'll be just fine," The nurse said, smiling. She handed Darrel a tray which contained his two Pokémon. He accepted it readily and released both of them. Sadie shook herself and Skiddo blinked.

" _I'm... not in a battle? I thought captured Pokémon only got released to battle."_ Sadie groaned visibly. That trainer had obviously been worse than we'd originally thought.

" _That's a silly assumption to make. Only mean trainers do that,"_ I told him. " _And Darrel is a really nice trainer!"_ Skiddo jumped, looked closer, and suddenly realised I was there.

" _That's a cool trick, how do you do it?"_ Skiddo asked, curious. I laughed nervously.

" _It's so natural that I'm afraid I'm not sure. I'll look into it."_ Adina called Skiddo over, and he quickly tottered over to her. She had her Pokémon equipment out, and she hurriedly went to work clipping his hooves and trimming the foliage around his neck. By the time she was done he looked like a new Pokémon.

" _You look brilliant!"_ Sadie complimented him, once his work was done. " _You'd impress Princess Ali, I bet!"_

Skiddo scrunched up his face in confusion. " _Who's she?"_

" _Don't scrunch your face like that! And she's a famous contest competitor, of course! She's the most dazzling Altaria in all of Kalos and Hoenn!"_ Sadie explained.

" _oh,"_ Skiddo commented. " _Uh, Thanks!"_

* * *

I floated over to Darrel later that night and poked Skiddo's pokéball. He looked confused for a moment, but stayed quiet, and I signalled for him to talk with me outside the room.

" _Sorry,"_ I apologised. " _I just don't want to wake up anybody else."_

" _That's okay."_ Skiddo trotted over to me as we walked down the hallways. " _So, what're we up for?"_

" _I wanted to try and learn a move or two, and I figured I should have a training partner, but Sadie is really picky about her beauty sleep!"_ I explained. Floating out the door, I was glad to see that the doors still worked at night. I beckoned him over to a tree outside the Pokémon center and asked him to knock down one of the fruits.

" _Wait, are you just hungry?"_

" _No, I'm going to try and use psychic. Or Psybeam. Even Confusion would work, just a psychic attack."_ I stared hard at the fruit for a few seconds, gathering energy, and very carefully I aimed the attack. A beam of light hit the fruit, and I waited for it to look... attacked, somehow.

Instead, the fruit grew and became a little larger.

" _That's an interesting form of Aromatherapy."_ Skiddo commented. He suddenly looked at himself. His leaves looked healthier, and he experimentally used razor leaf on himself. " _Hey! You just... oh, cool! So I do have Sap Sipper for an ability!"_

" _Shut up. I was trying to use Psybeam,"_ I moaned. Afterwards I gave up trying to be useful and helped Skiddo practice head-butting a tree. And no, I'm not calling it headbutt instead of Bulldoze because I'm jealous. I'm not jealous at all.

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A/N; Yay! Third chapter today done! Woo!

Skiddo was planned for a long time. The poor little abandoned Skiddo in Lumiose are so out of place - it's like a brief reminder that the Pokémon world isn't all fairies and dragons flying about in utopia. I wanted to give one of them another chance. Plus, grass-types are rarely used in-game, so... Wynaut?

(Don't rage at my puns please)


	8. Chapter 8

I woke up drowsily from my makeshift bed, aka Darrel's hair, and rose from sleep to open the window. It was... dark. And raining. And just plain not a day for adventuring.  
Not that bad weather would stop me after I'd tried so hard to actually be on a journey.

I pulled Adina's ears to try and wake her up, knowing she was a light sleeper. She groaned and shifted, blinking into my face.  
"Oh, D-Candy, good morning." She got up, stretched and yawned, and quickly got dressed before Darrel woke up. She finished messing with her hair at just the moment Sadie woke up and let herself out of the pokéball. Yawning, Saie quickly grabbed a brush and tossed it over to Adina so she could be groomed. I let them groom themselves while I went to wake up Darrel.

" _Okay, operation Wake up Darrel is go,"_ I announced, staring at my mission. Winding up, I went in for the only move I knew.

Smack.

"OW! D-Candy, what the heck?! I was fighting Giratina!..." He glanced about. "Oh. Yeah, like that can happen." He stretched and leaped out of bed, left for the bathroom, and came back in a near-identical outfit.

"Come on, Darrel, you can't just wear identical clothes all the time. Geez, at least you aren't a fashion disaster like my brother." Adina sighed, let Sadie leave and leap onto Darrel's shoulder, and we left shortly for the road.

"So, where next?" Adina asked, running to catch up. I looked down from my perch on Darrel's head.

"We're headed for Camphrier Town. We can bunk there for the night, and it has a lot of history nearby." Adina agreed to the idea, and we went down the tall stone gateway which read 'Route 5'. A short distance later, after passing through a checkpoint, we went for the door at the other side, and were greeted by a pathway out to the next town.

"Hey, Darrel, was there always a cluster of roller-skating trick equipment here?" Adina asked. They stopped to look at a bunch of roller skaters messing around on the equipment. A slightly large boy was out of place, dancing in the center of the skate park. He and his Corphish seemed to be practicing something.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Adina asked, curiosity getting the better of her. The guy stopped and looked at them, and then glanced around in confusion. The Corphish stopped as well.

" _I thought we were dancing, Tierno!"_ Corphish said angrily, but Tierno ignored him.

"I can't believe it!" He complained. "I was doing my awesome routine and Trevs ditched me!" He groaned in despair, but quickly recovered and turned to Adina.

"Sorry, I was teaching Swords Dance to Corphish and showing my friend a new dance routine, but it looks like he left."

Corphish rolled his eyes. " _Again. Seriously, Tierno, we need a more enthusiastic audience."_

 _"No kidding,"_ Sadie agreed, hopping down from her perch on Darrel's shoulder. She posed proudly, and Tierno marveled at her.

"Oh! Is that an Eevee? She's well groomed!" Sadie began to lick her paw, trying not to show her pleasure from the compliment. Darrel took over.

"She's my starter. Her name is Sadie." He seemed pretty proud. "Tell me about your Corphish. He seems pretty dedicated!" Corphish cawed in agreement.

"Oh, Corphish? He's my best buddy, like all my Pokémon!" Tierno replied. "Although I only have him and Squirtle right now." He glanced down at his partner.

" _I want to battle his other Pokémon. I think it's powerful,"_ Corphish said, excited. He walked up to Darrel, and Darrel laughed.

"Okay, sure!" Darrel replied. He pulled the Skiddo's pokéball from his belt and threw it onto the field. Skiddo blinked, looked around, and went directly to Darrel the moment he found him.

" _Are we battling that Corphish?"_ He asked.

"Yeah," Darrel answered. "Don't worry, it'll just be for fun." Skiddo nodded and walked over to a fighting position in front of Darrel. I hung out a little higher up to watch.

"Cool! Okay, Corphish, let's hit the stage!" Tierno called, and Corphish skittered over as fast as his legs could carry him. Adina went over to one side to watch, and Sadie joined her on a nearby bench. Darrel went first.

"Alright, Skiddo, let's close the distance with a quick attack!" Skiddo leaped into action, hooves slamming a rhythm onto the smoothed ground. He leaped past a swipe of Corphish's claw and watched warily as Corphish set up a new move.

"Okay, Corphish, let's use the move we practiced so hard to learn! Swords Dance!" Corphish complied immediately, standing in place and doing a brief yet powerful dance, before facing Skiddo again. Skiddo glanced at him before leaping into a Quick Attack again.

"Shoot, he's out of earshot, and Corphish is keeping it that way," Darrel murmured under his breath. He saw Corphish approaching from one side, going behind Skiddo, and Skiddo began to move backwards, trying to find him. He suddenly snapped forward, and Corphish's Vice Grip caught nothing but air.

"Shoot! How did he dodge?!" Tierno moaned, but he shook it off quickly. "Alright, Corphish, time for some ranged attacks! Use Bubble, and make it hasty!" Corphish charged up and blew a stream of bubbles at Skiddo. Skiddo dodged most of them, but a couple hit, and he began favouring one leg as he pranced back into earshot of Darrel.

" _Ow. That hurt,"_ Skiddo admitted. " _How come a water attack hit so hard?"_

"He used Swords Dance, remember? Attacks are going to hit hard, if they land, and unfortunately most of his are perfect Accuracy." Darrel explained. "We'll just have to clear the floor of him first." Skiddo nodded, stood tall, and thought about his next move.

"Alright, start off with a Bulldoze!" Darrel called, and Skiddo scratched the ground with his hoof before dashing off at blinding speed. Corphish dodged and watched as Skiddo hit solid metal of the bike rack behind them. Shaking his head, he moved in for a Double hit.

"C'mon..." Darrel murmured under his breath. "He's out of earshot again!" Skiddo shook himself, stood tall, and tossed a weak Razor leaf at Corphish. The Type advantages took their toll, weakening Corphish significantly, but not enough. Corphish moved in even more, and...

BOOM.

A sudden explosion blew dust all over, and obscured our view of the battlefield. I moved up a little more to get out of the way of the resulting dust storm. Once it cleared, it was obvious who won.

"Buddy!" Tierno called, "You okay?" This was a ridiculous question because Corphish was upside down on his back, eyes closed, and his entire face was charred.

" _Never been better..."_ he murmured, returning himself to his pokéball. Skiddo clumsily walked back to Darrel, and Darrel held up a few Oran berries, which he quickly consumed as he recovered.

" _I like those,"_ Skiddo grinned, his leafy tail wagging. " _They make me feel energetic."_ I swooped in and whispered into Darrel's ear, explaining an idea. Darrel nodded and pulled another handful of Oran berries from his backpack.

"Here," Darrel said, handing them to Tierno. "Corphish is really powerful. He deserves some." Tierno grinned and accepted them, putting them away in his own pack.

"Dude, I'm impressed," Tierno admitted. "That was how we defeated Viola. Move a Pokémon far enough from its trainer, and it can no longer take commands. You'd be surprised, the difference it makes." he shook his head. "But your Skiddo used bide anyway." Darrel screwed up his face in confusion.

"Hey, you're right," he said. "That's weird. I never told him to." Skiddo left his Oran berries and walked over.

" _I can sense emotions,"_ Skiddo explained. " _You'd be surprised how specific emotions can be."_

Darrel mused, "I wonder if we could do that on command. Like, my gut urges aren't exactly accurate sometimes." Skiddo nodded in agreement.

" _Listening to your emotions speak is like listening to rock music sung by a soprano."_

"Hey!"

" _It's true."_

Tierno blinked. "Is Darrel talking to his Skiddo?" I giggled.

"He does that," Adina said, as if it explained everything. She turned to Sadie. "Doesn't he?"

" _Yup!"_ Sadie agreed. " _He's a one hundred percent certified weirdo! Isn't it just hilarious?"_ I laughed. Tierno looked around for something, and I quickly covered my mouth.

"Well, anyway, I'd better be going," Tierno said. "I have to get Corphish over to a Pokémon center." He waved. 'See you all later, okay!"

"Bye, Tierno!" Darrel called. "See you!" Tierno waved, and ran for the Lumiose city entrance.

We were walking for a while, had some battles with the other trainers around, particularly an annoying plusle-minun tag team, and eventually stopped for lunch.

"Hey, Darrel," Adina asked, curious. "Did that guy ever introduce himself or say his name?"

"Nope," he said, taking another bite out of his sandwich. "But his Corphish told me."

"Oh." She went back to eating her food. Skiddo hopped out of his pokéball and stared longingly at the food. Sadie was finishing a take-out Poke Pizazz, and I was eating a sandwich, which admittedly was probably floating in the air for most. He stared at the last sandwich.

" _Um... are you going to eat that?"_ He asked.

"No, it's for you," Darrel laughed. "We're all eating. What made you think you wouldn't get something?"

" _Um... I ate Oran berries earlier?"_ He replied. He caved in and began to eat the sandwich gratefully. He nibbled slowly, savouring every bite. Darrel finished and idly stroked Skiddo's back.

Finishing as well, Skiddo shook off the stiffness he'd had from being in a pokéball, and shyly asked, " _Can I walk with you guys for a bit?"_

"Sure," Darrel agreed. We'd better get going, actually, if we want to get there in time to see what I want to see. Here, have dessert on the road." He tossed a chocolate cookie Skiddo's way, which was expertly caught in his mouth. Adina packed up the picnic blanket and we kept moving.

" _Mmmh. Thish ish good."_ Skiddo grinned into his cookie, which was nearly gone. Darrel lit up as the town became visible in the distance.

"Oh, we're nearly there," Adina commented, and Sadie peeked out of her perch in Darrel's bag briefly. Skiddo ate the last of his food and scampered over to walk right next to Darrel.

"You know," Darrel said, breaking a silence, "You should have a nickname. Like how I call Sadie Sadie instead of Eevee, and D-Candy D-Candy instead of Mew." Skiddo stopped, and stared, mouth open, before leaping for joy.

" _A nickname!? Really!? You mean it!?"_ He cried, excited. " _Heck Yeah!"_ He stopped and shyly continued, " _Uh, sorry. I was excited."_

"No prob. How does Chip sound?" Darrel asked.

" _Perfect!"_ Chip announced, his hooves tapping as they reached paved road. " _Oh, do I get another cookie?"_ Darrel laughed and gave Skiddo another one. " _What next?"_


	9. Chapter 9

This is the first of two chapters today.

* * *

Camphrier Town, while nice enough, was tiny. There were a few houses, a Pokémon center, and a weird old house, but that was where it ended. Our first stop had, predictably, been the Pokémon center. Since it wasn't actually night yet, Darrel let us out and we were left to our own devices in the lobby while he and Adina sorted out their room for the night.

" _So, Chip, is it now? Tell me about yourself. How good are you at battling, what kind of stuff you like, that sort of thing."_ Sadie asked, plopping herself down. She'd taken to him already, him being the quiet-yet-friendly type. He nestled down himself and nodded in acknowledgement, while I floated in close range, paying half my attention to them, and spending the rest investigating the crowded lobby.

Chip glanced at his hooves nervously. " _I... well, there isn't much to know."_

" _Oh, don't be like that!"_ Sadie protested, laughing. " _Here. Tell me what moves you know. That's a start."_

 _"Well, uh, I know Razor Leaf,"_ He began, finding the fact-based questioning a little easier. " _And Bulldoze, and I guess tackle and quick attack. But not much else, I despised practice, and I knew it would mean more battles the better I was. Of course, that is, until I met you guys. I think I might have a change of heart. Fighting that Corphish was fun, and for once I really wanted to succeed."_ He blinked in surprise. " _Did I say all that?"_

" _It's easier if you start with something you can't mess up."_ Sadie agreed. " _Since Darrel gave us free roam, why don't we head outside and practice? I won't push you, but personally I want to try out using trick room. Fun move, switches around the speeds of battlers."_ Chip looked mildly interested.

" _Okay, why not, I guess!"_ He finally agreed, and we all went outside.

It was getting dark, but there was enough light still that we could find a good rock to practice on. Sadie trotted over to the rock and picked it up in her jaw, then dropped it in front of Chip.

" _Here. I'm gonna teach you rock throw."_ She leaped over to another rock and placed that squarely in Chip's line of vision.

" _Uh, okay, how do you do rock throw?"_ He asked.

" _You have to ask?"_ Sadie raised an eyebrow. " _Y'know. Rock... Throw... Throw the rock?"_

 _"Oh."_ Chip lifted the rock experimentally and tossed it at the rock.

Clink.

" _Good, now you know rock throw."_ Sadie walked over and stood in front of Chip. " _Now I just need you to be target practice for trick room. Take a nap if you want. Just learning how to switch speeds with an opponent."_ Chip nodded, and curled up in a ball before snoring very quietly.

" _D-Candy, over here a second, please,"_ Sadie motioned, and I looked up from the pretty blue flower I was staring at to float over to her. " _How do you conjure psychic energy? I know the basics of trick room, but..."_ I nodded and thought for a second.

" _Wait, doesn't Trick room involve ripping apart space?"_ I asked. She nodded, unfazed. I shook my head and concentrated.

A small flicker of psychic energy formed. " _Can you figure it out from that?"_ I inquired.

" _Hmm."_ She circled around it briefly, stuck in her paw once or twice, and did a lot of staring, before walking away and going back to the napping Chip.

" _And... BANG!"_ She whacked the floor with her tail, and I flew out of the small section of space she ripped apart. Chip blinked.

" _What was that? Did you manage it?"_ Chip asked, standing up. He glanced at Sadie, then did a speedy canter over to Sadie. I blinked.

" _Maybe you two weren't the best candidates,"_ I quoted. " _You have basically the same capacity for speed."_ They glanced at each other, and Sadie laughed nervously.

" _Yeah, didn't think of that."_ She glanced at me briefly. " _Oh, I know. D-Candy, stand over there. This might feel a little weird."_ She focused and smacked the ground again, and a ripple of space made me shiver.

" _So... what was that one?"_ I asked, looking around for differences.

" _Magic room. Negates the effects of all items."_ Sadie replied. " _Oh. We're not holding items, are we."_

" _Not last I checked."_ Sadie sighed and turned to Chip again.

" _This better work."_ She hit the ground yet again, and Chip flinched as the wave of reality reached him. " _Behold! Wonder room! Our Defensive capabilities are switched!"_

I raised a paw. " _You guys do realize that you have effectively the same capabilities all around, right?"_ I pointed out. Sadie shot me a glare that probably had part of reality behind it.

 _"FINE! If the world doesn't want me to become an awesome powerhouse of a Pokémon, then so be it!"_ She cried, slapping the ground again. It rumbled, and a crack opened, which Chip promptly fell into. She glanced at it, and after I lifted him out, she used a few of her psychic rooms to fix it.

" _Nice Fissure. Or was that Earthquake?"_ Chip asked groggily. " _I feel a little topsy-turvy..."_ Sadie grinned.

" _We'll practice again tomorrow. I think I heard Didi."_ She sped away quickly. Chip groaned.

" _Remind me to learn how to dodge ground type attacks."_

* * *

" _Yo! Hey, guys!"_ Ember called, his fire-tipped tail swaying. " _Darrel's done with all the organizing!"_ Sadie glanced at her trainer, who was chatting with a blonde wearing a tee and a pair of shorts.

"So you got Viola with an Eevee by teaching her Aerial Ace? Way cool!" He agreed, grinning. He glanced at us. "oh, is she-?"

Darrel finished for him. "My friends. Eevee, nice to see you're back from whatever you were doing. What happened?"

" _Oh, I was working with Chip and D-Candy to figure out how to use Trick Room and the like, until I realized we basically had the same capabilities. Then I learned fissure."_ I laughed unwillingly.

" _She forgot to mention that she got angry and basically used rage at the ground."_ I giggled. The shorts kid glanced about at the sourceless laughter.

"Don't panic. Stuff like this happens." Darrel managed to slip the half-explanation past him without revealing me."Anyway, good job, Sadie. Up for some ice cream?" She nodded eagerly, and Chip followed suit, interested.

" _It sounds yummy,"_ He commented, "a _nd anything that sounds yummy probably is yummy."_ Darrel laughed and scooped Sadie up onto his shoulder.

"Okay then. Ice cream it is. Bye, Alan. Thanks for the chat," He said, waving as we left. Adina caught up about thirty seconds later.

"So Darrel, I heard someone was being treated to Ice cream," Adina coaxed.

"Before you start, yes, you get some ice cream. My treat." Adina grinned like a loon as we approached a small shoppe which advertised the treat. I floated in ahead of everyone and glanced about, before settling on Darrel's head again. Sadie hopped up to choose a flavour.

" _Aha! Poké Pizazz flavour!"_ She called, pointing. Darrel laughed and asked for the Vanillish Vanilla along with Sadie's request. Adina ordered her favourite - Pumpkaboo Spice - and we sat down to a pile of ice cream.

" _Uh, um, can I have some?"_ Chip asked, regaining his confidence. Darrel smiled, and put some ice cream on a spoon fro him. He held it out for Skiddo to taste.

" _Brr."_ He shivered, as the cold got to him. I had to hold back from commenting on my brain-freeze. " _That's really cold!"_

" _Well duh, It's Ice cream. Get it? Y'know... Ice?"_ Sadie commented, licking her pot of Poké Pizazz flavour. " _I like it. I forgot that you were a grass type."_

Chip trilled as the brain-freeze settled in. " _I think I'll skip on that one. Any cookies left?"_

* * *

"So, guys," Darrel announced, opening a map and spreading it out on the floor for everyone to see, "What's next?" Adina came up next to him and glacned about at the images.

"Well, first I want to check out Shabboneau and Parfum Palace," Adina said. "That'll take a day, but trust me, it's worth it. Then we should move onwards through route 7 towards connecting cave, and from there we move on to Cyllage City. People there have this thing about rollerskates, and we can get some cool stuff there too, like Miracle seeds and Charcoal and such." I blinked.

"Oh yeah, that'll be useful. Maybe some assault vests too, and some other permanent battle items, if we can find them." Darrel closed up the map. "And that visit to Parfum and Shabboneau sounds fun too." Sadie had already been downstairs and grabbed a bisitor's guide to Camphrier. It was rather small, but she quietly leaped onto one of the bunks and set it in front of her to read. I floated up next to her and Chip hopped onto the opposite side, and began to read upside down.

* * *

A/N; So! I finally got around to writing stuff again! I still have exams, but we're nearly there! I'm almost ready to start writing again for realsies!

Camphrier Town is one of my favourite towns in Kalos, most likely the very favourite of all the regions. It's just so peaceful. It's also where I met my favourite Pokémon.

Who's up to guessing which Pokémon Darrel will get next?


	10. Chapter 10

This is the second of two chapters today.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of Pidgeysong. Yawning, I stretched in midair and used wake-up slap on Darrel's face.

"OW! Good morning, and please don't do that! It hurts!" Darrel said, rubbing his cheek. "I bet that's gonna bruise." Adina glanced at us, then went off to make her preparations. Sadie let her claws dig into the bed, then hopped off to retrieve a brush for Darrel to use on Chip and her. Chip had slept on a rather fluffy blanket on the floor, and woke up to the sensation of his leaves being trimmed.

" _Morn, D-Candy,"_ Sadie called, before shaking herself. " _There. Much better."_ She hopped around a little to get height and landed daintily on Darrel's shoulder as Adina finished sorting herself out. She waved a small camera and signaled for us to follow.

"So, Shabboneau is just a little north from here," She worked out. Closing the map that was featured in the brochure, she let out Ember so he could be admitted into the elderly castle. It stood tall but neglected in the small town.

"It's so ancient looking," Adina murmured as we approached the drawbridge. A man in a fighting outfit noticed us and got up from where he had been sitting.

"Nice to see visitors!" he called, waving. "Come on in! I'll show you around!" Adina glanced at Darrel, and he shrugged before following the man inside. I rushed over to his side, and Adina was close behind.

"Wow..." Darrel muttered. The whole place was lit up old-style, with gaseous lamps that looked much like small Litwick, though closer inspection proved otherwise. Pictures were strewn about the castle, and many depicted the man in his younger years, in front of a younger castle.

"This place hasn't seen many visitors in a while - Parfum is all the rage at the moment." He shook his head. "I know it's wrong to be so presumptious, but that place doesn't have anything. All it has is material. There's no real benefit. It's just some golden palace." Chip seemed a little surprised at that opinion, but he began to see the point.

"Over here are the western halls. Over there the eastern. That over there is the private portion, for the residents of this place. Upstairs is the room of our ancestors, where the previous masters of this house slept - nowadays we let people in to get a taste of history, but at the moment we can't go there."

"Why not?" Adina asked, distracted from looking at a painting of the Berry Fields behind the castle.

"A wounded pokémon showed up yesterday, and I decided he would recover better using the bed, so he's there now." Adina nodded and moved in, undeterred.

"Come on, Darrel, we don't have all day!" She called. "We're going to help that pokémon!" Darrel blinked, and after a brief moment he nodded and followed, closely pursued by the man who had lead us around. She went cautiously into the room, and was met by a soft growl from the bedsheets.

"There there, I'm not here to hurt you," she said, trying to be soothing. Ember went quiet and loped carefully into the room, before leaping onto the bed and checking for the pokémon. He glanced about, checked under the sheets, and even under the bed itself, before shaking his head.

"Oh. Oh no. That maid left the window open." he murmured, before walking to the window and looking out. "If I'm correct, he'd probably head for whatever smelled safest... probably Parfum Palace. It would block the other scents." He glanced to the two. "Do you mind? I want to make sure he's okay." Darrel and Adina agreed, and we promptly left the castle.

"It's over this way," He called, trotting hurriedly towards a tree-lined pathway to a much larger estate. "Hurry!" Darrel decided to let out Chip, and he glanced for only a moment at the situation before falling into a steady trot at Darrel's side.

"I would guess it headed for the Gardens." He glanced at the Gatekeeper, and the keeper showed his recognition before standing aside. "Thank you."

Adina couldn't help but look around a bit. The place was far too fancy - and had way too much gold - for my liking. It needed more crystals. Or Opals. Or something. Chip was wary of where he stepped, but he relaxed once they were in the overdone garden, which clogged my senses with the scent of peppermint and rose. Sadie made a face and tried to keep her face pretty while not wincing at the smell. She was not doing so well.

I decided to make a pocket of air around my face, and I felt much better almost instantly. I decided to remember it for if anyone tried to use powder moves on me. Lancing out into the sky, I looked down on the intricate garden and spotted movement at one edge. Moving down to Sadie's eye level, I signaled for her to follow. I went alongside her to let her breathe into my bubble for a few moments before going ahead towards what sounded like a battle.

A guard was behind us, calling out to the sound. "No battling in the Garden!" He cried, a Litleo dogging his heels loyally, and barking the same orders in Pokémon. Darrel glanced behind briefly before returning his focus to the battle presumably happening. He skidded out into a small space and nearly got a charred hat.

 _LEAVE!_

A powerful mental presence made itself clear, although words weren't what we heard, just a strong mental impulse. Darrel resisted it, although Adina stopped and stepped back a little before blinking in confusion, and Sadie cringed as she stood her ground. The guard kept going and found himself looking at a strange scene.

A small Houndour was glaring up at a very strange looking pokémon. Physically the pokémon looked like a slightly powerful Honedge, his bladed body gleaming in the sunlight, but his colour was strange. Most notably, his blade was a bright red colour, As well as the majority of the noble cloth he used as a makeshift arm. He held his sheath in it, and his eye glowed a ghastly purple.

 _LEAVE! LEAVE THIS PLACE!_

It became quite obvious that the mental presence was coming from the reanimated blade. It repeated its pleas to the Houndour to no avail.

 _WHY?!_ Suddenly, the voice got quieter, as if it were thoughts, not speech, they were hearing. _Why won't you listen to me? All I want is peace..._

The Houndour looked confused. It pranced about a bit, but when that garnered no reaction from the saddened pokémon, he approached, his tail in a low wag to show friendliness. He managed to get close enough to the ghost/steel type to nip his cloth curiously. He leaped back as the sword swung out at him, ghostly energy enveloping his blade. He stopped and glared at the Houndour, before approaching, causing the small dog to cower.

"Calm down," A soft voice said, from elsewhere. A tall figure walked in from the castle and approached the Red blade with an ease that made onlookers nervous. "He cannot hear your mental voice. That is how it is with Dark-types." He gestured for the small black-and-red dog, who glanced at Honedge before crawling quietly out of the brush he was hiding in.

 _You._

"Yes?" The cloaked stranger said, adjusting his scarf. He glanced briefly at me, chortled to himself, and let his eyes wander over to Adina, and then to Darrel. He blinked, as if surprised, before grinning to himself. His black cape hid the rest of his reactions.

 _I sense a strange oddity in you. Much like an omnipresent voice... it is strange. Like remnants from an outcry long ago... are you a ghost type?  
_

"Yes, that might be so. I fear it is far to personal to explain here, but it is why I work primarily with Dark Types - they can't hear it." He bowed. "My apologies."

 _No matter. Will the Houndour cause any trouble?_

The sword blinked, his one eye refocusing to see Adina treating a wound on his leg. He growled a friendly undertone which showed his appreciation.

 _I guess not._

"I'm afraid he was lead here by his nose. The scents in Parfum Palace can be confusing," The cloaked one nodded to himself, and the Honedge absorbed it dutifully.

 _I cannot smell. I presume I must believe your judgement._

"Indeed." He walked over to Adina, who had fixed a bandage onto the Houndour's leg. It yapped as it was lifted, but smiled at the man suddenly, as if in a brief moment everything had been perfectly explained. To the crowd, he said, "I will take responsibility for him, at least for a while. Thank you, Miss, for patching him up." Adina smiled to herself and shrugged before getting up and rejoining us. The cloaked man nodded, and then-

gone.

It was weird, like a whisper of smoke engulfing him and him fading out of existence-

No. It was a dark typed version of teleport. Something like...a version of Dark Void, was it? Something only highly well-adjusted dark type trainers could use? Odd. Darrel blinked momentarily before glancing back at the Honedge.

 _If only all humans understood me that well._ The Honedge murmured. It turned to leave, but glanced back at Darrel. Then at Sadie.

 _What are you? You seem to have elemental energy locked away within you._

" _Why, thank you for noticing! I'm an Eevee. My name is Sadie, and these are my friends."_ She glanced at us all, listing our names. The Honedge nodded, a strange sight as it involved him wobbling in midair. " _About what you said... My trainer can understand most pokémon. Want to try talking to him?"_

 _Alright._ He approached Darrel and floated about a foot away from his face. _Let's see. Can you hear my voice?_

"Uh, yeah. A bit loud actually. You don't have to stay so close." Honedge jumped back, startled, then relaxed, his cloth reassuming its flowing stature.

 _Impressive._

"I'm glad you think so," Darrel replied, once he was certain that no one was watching. "Sorry, people might think I'm a lunatic if I just start talking to you. Most can't do this." Darrel noted that even the kind man from Shabboneau was gone, and he was alone apart from Adina and his pokémon. Honedge moved back and began to speak again.

 _Then, trainer,_ Honedge said, _Do you think you could teach me to speak as humans do?_

Darrel blinked in surprise. "Well, I could certainly try, but I can't make any promises."

 _A wise decision. Promises are quite unstable._ He moved for Darrel's bag and levitated a Poké ball out of it. _I was hoping for this. Allow me to join you._

Click!

The ball stopped shaking and lay dormant on the ground. Darrel stared at it oddly. "I... guess we have a new traveling companion?"

"Gee, I wish that happened to me, I'm terrible with Poké balls." Adina murmured, Ember at her side. "I really need some new team mates." Everyone laughed half-heartedly, and before long we were stolen away by a tour guide to see the rest of Parfum Palace.

* * *

"Shoot, it's already dark," Adina groaned, looking out at the sky, after traveling back down the pathway. She glanced briefly at the overcast skies. "Not a day for camping either. Back to Camphrier it is." She pulled her bag and began to run for it, headed back down route 7. Darrel took the time to help Sadie into his bag as they were running to stop her getting wet, and for once he was behind Adina, although he was catching up fast.

Adina stopped at the ceremonious gate to Camphrier which had a slight overhang. Darrel caught his breath, glanced worriedly at the storm clouds brewing, and turned back to see what Adina was looking at.

A large, blue-and-cream bear-like thing was sleeping directly under the overhang.

 _"I guess he wanted to stay dry?"_ I said, trying to lighten the mood.

The storm agreed. It said this by pouring down on us in mere seconds.

"Oh great." Adina muttered. "Just what I wanted." A voice floated into my hearing, and apparently hers too. A man was standing outside a small sign, announcing a Berry Farm, and from the looks of it he was beckoning us. We didn't need to decide - we just ran for it, towards him. He showed us to a small cottage near a small farm. He passed Adina and Darrel some towels, and a small girl quickly gave some to the pokémon, except me. Sadie was already dry, so she tossed hers to me and stood protectively in front of what must have looked like a levitating towel.

"Are you all okay? Good. You can stay here the night, it doesn't look like the storm is going to let up anytime soon." The man said. Adina quickly agreed to the offer, and Darrel followed suit once he saw the downpour outside. "I run this here berry farm. I think we have some spare rooms upstairs if you need to stay the night." We all gave him an eager response, and he laughed before going up to set up the rooms.

* * *

 _"Mister? Who was that nice girl who bandaged my leg?"_ a young Houndour asked the tall, cloaked human next to him.

"Her name is Adina. She is a traveling companion, I believe, of Cresselia's chosen." The wind sped up as the night fell, and Houndour decided to hide beneath the human's large, billowing cloak.

" _Why are we on the roof?"_ Houndour asked, once he was comfortably assembled underneath the protection of a pair of legs and a black cape.

"Well, I wanted to talk to a friend of mine, and people would panic if he was seen on the street." Glancing up, a black figure materialized in mere seconds.

" _Shadowcaster,"_ It spoke, its shadowy form mostly visible due to the red ring around his neck and a long, wispy length of what was presumably white hair. " _I see you found Darrel. He... is a chosen, much like yourself, correct? One of Cresselia's?"_

"Yes. I must say, Darkrai, you make quite a dashing figure in this scenery. Moon rising behind you, and you'd be the thing of fairy tales."

" _I...well, I at least know I don't like fairy-types, but I think that was meant as a compliment, so thank you."_ Darkrai replied. He moved in to stand next to the Shadowcaster, floating next to him and extending two long, surprisingly dainty legs to touch the ground, relaxing as his powers of defying gravity were no longer needed.

"I think it would be wise to watch the two of them. Adina, while not a chosen, also shows promise - perhaps not a shadowcaster or lightcaster, but may very well be qualified to join their ranks in an unofficial way." Darkrai raised an eyebrow, a considerable feat as he did not have any eyebrows, and allowed his two bright blue eyes to be seen.

" _I trust your judgement, Tobes, but are you sure? She only has one pokémon with her."_ Darkrai countered.

"Number of pokémon means nothing. And I asked you to stop calling me that," Tobias said, shaking his head.

" _As long as you go around in that ridiculous disguise and wear stilts to be taller, I will call you Tobes."_ A crooked grin displayed a rarely seen side of the grim presence. " _Besides, it is fun."_

"Quiet, you." Tobias replied, sighing good-naturedly. "And you know my name isn't Tobias. Or Tobes."

Darkrai shot a look at the Not-Actually-Called-Tobias. " _I came for a different matter. We're getting too light-hearted. I wanted to ask for some proper training. I let you down back in Sinnoh, after all."_ Darkrai looked down at the small Houndour who was still using not-Tobias for a shelter from the rain. " _Who is this?"_

" _I'm Houndour!"_ Houndour yapped nervously.

" _I can see that. I meant where did you come from and the like."_

" _Oh!"_

"You two... Darkrai, this is a Houndour I plan to raise until the next time I see Darrel and Adina. I want him to work with her, but at the moment he's a tad too young. I was thinking you could teach him a few things?" Tobias asked.

" _Of course."_ Darkrai considered. " _It would be beneficial for me as well. I can review my capabilities."_ He shook himself. " _I'm still depressed over the Lily of the Valley Conference. That Sceptile of Ash's..."  
_

"It wasn't your fault. I miscalculated the effectiveness of status moves," not-Tobias countered. "Look. Latios was able to sort that out, and we managed to stop a paradox. You know how loosely Ho-Oh ties its wish-granting capabilities, and if I'd been more careful we would have been able to do better. Regardless, I do admit we'll have to brush up a bit if we're ever needed again. Can't let him win a league, after all. That would break his 'forever-journey' wish, and you know how hard Celebi had to work to sort it out last time when he won the Orange Islands thing."

Latios released itself and let out a warning cry. Not-Tobias immediately paid rapt attention. He had to focus more on non-dark types if he wanted to understand.

" _To-to, we must check the operations of Team Plasma. I feel the dread from the Altomare incident all over again."_ Latios cringed.

An Absol almost immediately leaped out of the darkness, though it looked slightly different - most notably, medium sized wings rose from her back. " _Indeed. I feel it too. It was a wise decision to follow you, Shadowcaster."_

"Alright, don't get your flight-feathers in a knot. Give me a ride to Unova so we can check out what they're up to, and make sure Ash is on the right path to intercept them." He sent Darkrai away and leaped unceremoniously onto Latios. "Remind me to get Zoroark in case we need to make him go in the wrong direction. Gee, we're getting good at this. Remember the time we accidentally sent them to the North Pole to meet Santa?" Latios trilled a light-hearted, laugh-like reply as he prepared for takeoff. In a matter of moments the Houndour joined him, and soon they were a mere speck of colour on an ever-darker horizon.

* * *

A/N; Woo! New Chapter done!

I don't know how I managed that thing at the end. I might rewrite this one day, if I get the chance. But it will certainly do. And before anyone asks, no, this isn't going to be a big part of the story - just something on the side. A bit of extra, I guess.


	11. Chapter 11

I yawned into Darrel's hair and rose lazily up from his head. I glanced out the window and sighed in relief when I saw clear blue skies in return. Swinging from room to room, I searched until I found Sadie and poked her gently to try and wake her up.

Poke.

Poke. Poke...

Poke. Poke. Poke!

Nope. Not waking up. Just my luck. Bending backwards and flying while looking at the sky, I spun through the house and flew out the window to get some fresh air. Stretching, I casually hovered past a few rows of particularly tasty-looking berries. I resisted temptation and moved for an empty patch where I could relax and stare at the sky.

I heard Sadie padding her way over, and soon she interrupted my peace. " _So D-Candy. What're you doing out here?"_

I righted myself. " _Just being lazy and getting some fresh air."_

" _Cool with me."_ Sadie plopped down next to a tall Wacan Tree and sighed as she let herself relax. We sat there for a while before she suddenly got up.

" _Where're you going?"_ I asked, not bothering to move.

" _Someone's watching us,"_ She stated, tail lashing out at the air. " _I suddenly got this horrible feeling..."_ She closed her eyes and focused a small amount of psychic energy around her in a pulse. It wormed its way out invisibly but hit nothing. She blinked in confusion before glancing around.

" _A Dark type, then,"_ She hissed. " _I have just the move for that."_ She conjured some more energy, carefully forming it, and let it wrap around her in a sparkly pink wave, before sending it out in a similar way. This time, a startled, pained cry came from our right, and we snapped around to look at the victim.

The Pokémon was a Scrafty, a Pokémon normally only native to Unova. He shook himself, nursing a nasty glow that surrounded him from the Fairy wind. Sadie blinked in surprise as he lifted himself off the floor and shook himself, holding his mouth in a strange frown.

" _Did you have to do that? That was overkill..."_ He moaned. I took the chance to look at him - I'd never seen a Scrafty before.

The Scrafty had orange skin and an armoured belly of greyish scales. His head had a short set of red bumps which came from his crown to the back of his neck, where a hoodie-like material hung around his neck. Similar material surrounded his lower body like a pair of cargo pants. His tail was also in this material, with a red spike at the back.

This Scrafty grabbed his hood and pulled it over his head, so only his mouth was seen. " _I don't like fairy-types..."_

Sadie blinked again. She took a step closer, not really sure what to do, and the Scrafty backed away and cowered.

" _Please don't hurt me..."_

Sadie stopped for a moment, and strangely enough, her tail began to glow pink. She waved experimentally.

" _Hello? Um. Who are you?"_

" _I'm a Scrafty."_

" _Yeah, I can see that. I mean like where do you come from and what are you doing here."_

The Scrafty suddenly began to act awkwardly. " _Oh... nothing. I'm just, y'know, around."_ Sadie glared at him for a moment.

" _You're trying to steal something, aren't you?"_ She asked, lashing her tail again.

" _Well..."_ He blinked, then rushed forward with a rock smash. Sadie leaped gracefully into the air and whupped him with her tail, knocking him down to fall flat on his face.

" _Ow..."_ He muttered, shaking off the dust. Sadie walked up beside him.

" _Hey."_ From my viewpoint, I could see her forming some Fairy Energy in preparation, holding it in her tail in case he retaliated again. " _That wasn't very nice."_

The Scrafty looked sheepish, and he backed up a little, eyeing Sadie cautiously. " _Sorry."_ He said, not sounding very sorry at all. Sadie frowned and pushed the fairy energy forward again.

Scrafty panicked. Lifting the hood over his head again, he cried, " _Oh Arceus no please don't I won't do it again I'm sorry-"_ He was cut off by a quick wind knocking him over, and he sat dejectedly on the ground.

Sadie stopped, and he blinked up at her for a few seconds before getting up and nervously handing her a small string of beads. " _Here. This is all I took, I promise!"_ He ran off, fading into the shadows, and before long he was out of earshot. Sadie poked the necklace curiously, and her tail flashed pink again.

" _I... I think I'll keep this."_ She pulled it over her head and let it rest on her pale tan fur. Each bead had a slightly different colour.

" _Let's go back."_ Sadie said, and I nodded, following her in the air as we went back to the shack. Darrel was awake, apparently, and we ate breakfast at his side.

"So, Sadie, I saw you were launching attacks outside. Did you learn a new move?" Darrel asked, finishing before Adina and the rest.

" _We chased off some Thief,"_ She said, trying her best to sound indifferent. " _I figured out how to use fairy wind. How's Chip?"_

The Skiddo in question raised his head from a large bowl of berry juice, his muzzle incriminatingly coloured. Licking his lips, he replied, " _Good! And tasty!"_

Sadie shook her head, and her necklace's beads chimed pleasantly.

"Hey, where did you find that?" Darrel asked.

" _Oh, somewhere."_ She replied, trying not to let on.

I told him instead. " _There was this Scrafty. He gave it to her."_ Darrel nodded in understanding, and Sadie glared at me from a quiet corner, where she had been admiring the string of beads. They were quite nice, really, and they shimmered in the sunlight.

"Well, we've got to get going," Darrel announced, once Adina was done stuffing her face with some delicious-looking pancakes. "Thanks again, sir." The man nodded pleasantly.

"Glad to help." He handed us our bags, and we were on our way again.


	12. Announcement

Okay, so it's been ages and I haven't updated this at all, and I know any people who are still around are probably fed up with waiting. If anyone likes this story enough to want to continue it for me, I'd be willing ot hand over the story to them.

If you're interested in continuing this story, please PM me.

This unfinished story will be left up for reference for the future author (if anyone decides to write it), and I will update again once an author has offered to take it off my hands with their username and a url to the story.

That is all, and thank you to anyone who has any interest at all.

Darkford


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